how far do you go? (ls2)
how far do you go? (ls2) so i have my mind wound up like a pretzel. im at the point where i am not sure what direction to go with my v1. it has a 107k on it and i want to start playing with the motor but at what point is it going too far?
my initial thought was its a dd so streetability has to remain key.
so i had thought, fast intake, kooks headders and high flows and a retune and call it a day. it would throw down a solid extra 50hp and would keep me happy for a driver and eventually change out the oil pump and cam and lifters at some point.
but for the money i would spend on the fast i could have ls3 heads but if you tear into it that far you WILL be doing a cam as its stupid not to at that point but with that many miles its hard to justify doing a top end without just doing a full rebuild. if this is the road i go down it will be waiting for a while.
so i guess it comes down to,
1. is it stupid to do ls3 top end without rebuilding all of it
2. can you expect enough life out of a 100k ls2 to throw the intake/exhaust and possibly cam it and add a couple items to extend the life of it at some point.
my initial thought was its a dd so streetability has to remain key.
so i had thought, fast intake, kooks headders and high flows and a retune and call it a day. it would throw down a solid extra 50hp and would keep me happy for a driver and eventually change out the oil pump and cam and lifters at some point.
but for the money i would spend on the fast i could have ls3 heads but if you tear into it that far you WILL be doing a cam as its stupid not to at that point but with that many miles its hard to justify doing a top end without just doing a full rebuild. if this is the road i go down it will be waiting for a while.
so i guess it comes down to,
1. is it stupid to do ls3 top end without rebuilding all of it
2. can you expect enough life out of a 100k ls2 to throw the intake/exhaust and possibly cam it and add a couple items to extend the life of it at some point.
1) No; plenty do just that. I am doing rings and bearings because I want to and am also planning 7500RPM+.
2) Don't sweat it. New lifters for new cam(along with the top end parts you mentioned) and spank it for another 100K. These things really last. Everyone I trust has told me that I am wasting my time with rings and bearings and I just want to do it anyway.
2) Don't sweat it. New lifters for new cam(along with the top end parts you mentioned) and spank it for another 100K. These things really last. Everyone I trust has told me that I am wasting my time with rings and bearings and I just want to do it anyway.
use a stock engine, prefer 5.3L. The stock 5.3 will hold 500-600bhp for 50-150k miles without much besides TLC and good tuning.
Spend the $$ on the transmission, a little stall, rear gear and a turbocharger setup. No reason to $@)(# around with engine mods until you start getting over 550rwhp.
Spend the $$ on the transmission, a little stall, rear gear and a turbocharger setup. No reason to $@)(# around with engine mods until you start getting over 550rwhp.
Originally Posted by kingtal0n
use a stock engine, prefer 5.3L. The stock 5.3 will hold 500-600bhp for 50-150k miles without much besides TLC and good tuning.
Spend the $$ on the transmission, a little stall, rear gear and a turbocharger setup. No reason to $@)(# around with engine mods until you start getting over 550rwhp.
Spend the $$ on the transmission, a little stall, rear gear and a turbocharger setup. No reason to $@)(# around with engine mods until you start getting over 550rwhp.
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 7,192
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From: Ohio
1. You definitely need to do a cam swap if you go with an LS3 top end.
2. 250k mile junkyard LS engines are pushed to twice the power of a stock LS2 on a regular basis. Why even sweat the 100k?
2. 250k mile junkyard LS engines are pushed to twice the power of a stock LS2 on a regular basis. Why even sweat the 100k?
Very true, I don't see me being disappointed building on the 243s or going for the ls3.
I really don't want to pull the heads pending anything catastrophic and I don't see that happening. It's a better power option but I know myself well enough to know once the heads come off I'm going to turn another car into one that no longer practical for a DD, and that gets $$$$
I really don't want to pull the heads pending anything catastrophic and I don't see that happening. It's a better power option but I know myself well enough to know once the heads come off I'm going to turn another car into one that no longer practical for a DD, and that gets $$$$
Very true, I don't see me being disappointed building on the 243s or going for the ls3.
I really don't want to pull the heads pending anything catastrophic and I don't see that happening. It's a better power option but I know myself well enough to know once the heads come off I'm going to turn another car into one that no longer practical for a DD, and that gets $$$$
I really don't want to pull the heads pending anything catastrophic and I don't see that happening. It's a better power option but I know myself well enough to know once the heads come off I'm going to turn another car into one that no longer practical for a DD, and that gets $$$$
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that crossed my mind to. just build a separate motor and sell mine to my later but i already have a never ending project car. not cracking the head bolts loose will keep the v a driver and not another project car.
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Verdad Gallardo The only way to basically not touch a bolt on the engine and double the power is to double the pressure that engine runs at. You have to add a turbo somehow... it is practically a necessity. Why go through the heartache of thousands in engine work just to make less power and more noise and have less reliability?
I'm not looking to double the power of anything, I want to add 50-75 hp to it and call it a day. Intake, exhaust with a cam and retune will do just that. I can get parts cheap, so the plan is to add a fast intake, headders, new cam, timing chain, oil pump, lifters and rocker arms.the cam is fairly mild so I'm not concerned about reliability issues with it.
Why are you changing the lifters? Does it have noise in the valve train now or just so it's all new? A lot of people reuse the factory roller lifters and just swap out the cam. It can be done relatively easy with out pulling the heads. The lifter guide will hold the lifters in place if not worn out.
Not a bad idea. BUT it wouldn't hurt to pull the cam first. If the cam is spotless, the lifters likely are, too. You know what a slippery slope it is once the heads come off... ... 
Why are you changing the lifters? Does it have noise in the valve train now or just so it's all new? A lot of people reuse the factory roller lifters and just swap out the cam. It can be done relatively easy with out pulling the heads. The lifter guide will hold the lifters in place if not worn out.
The lifter trays do not always hold the lifters up either...kind of a crap shoot there. Best to use dowel rods if one decides not to change the lifters.
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Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Wilmington, De
It is very possible to swap heads without having to touch the camshaft. Hell, the water pump doesn't even need to be removed. Bolting on a set of LS3 heads, ported 243s, or aftermarket offerings will gain you power with the stock camshaft. Personally, if you want to change the lifters regardless, then this is the route I would take. You can always cam it later, and that way, the camshaft will be matched to the heads you already put on.